


The Devious Melon

by hrhrionastar



Category: Legend of the Seeker
Genre: Episode: s01e06 Elixir, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-06
Updated: 2012-04-06
Packaged: 2017-11-03 04:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/377128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hrhrionastar/pseuds/hrhrionastar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richard meets a fruit that may be more dangerous than it appears.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Devious Melon

It was a fine morning to be wandering the Midlands, and Richard Cypher was enjoying the sun shining through the trees and the birds chirping and the total absence of D'Haran soldiers trying to kill him as he strolled along looking for fruit trees. The First Wizard wanted breakfast, and while Richard was always ready to fight for the lives of innocent people and fluffy kittens, even he had to admit it was easier on a full stomach.  
  
His senses were acute, and his skills at observation powerful, not only because he was a former woods guide but also because he possessed enhanced Seeker powers too complex for anyone but the First Wizard to understand. However, he was concentrating all that power on recalling exactly how his Confessor had looked when he accidentally came upon her bathing, and consequently he failed to look where he was going and stepped through the witch's garden gate without even registering the fence.  
  
The garden was full of fruit trees—there were apples redder than any apples Richard had ever seen, and succulent persimmons, and gigantic purple zillaberries. But his eye was immediately drawn to the melon. Its skin gleamed with health, and it was large enough to make breakfast for not only the First Wizard but Richard and Kahlan too.  
  
Richard drew the Sword of Truth to cut the melon free, and carried it tucked securely under his arm, like a severed head.  
  
When he got back to camp, he set down the melon and raised his sword, but the point stuck in the skin of the fruit, which no longer looked so healthy. Now veins of green and black rippled through it like the wraiths that dwelt in the Boundary between the Midlands and Richard's home of Westland. These apparitions were far more substantial, however, and one actually grasped the hilt of the Sword of Truth with two shadowy hands.  
  
"Don't just stand there, my boy," Zedd frowned. "A Seeker scoffs at sentient fruit."  
  
Richard tried to slice open the melon, but it just lay there smugly on the ground, resistant to his every effort.  
  
Kahlan laid a hand on Richard's arm. "I believe in you, Richard," she said, her eyes shining and the bodice of her Confessor gown dipping tantalizingly low. "You won't fail me, will you?"  
  
The melon grinned up at Richard. Somehow it had acquired the outline of a face, although the impression was mainly one of a mouth full of sharp teeth. Richard suddenly remembered what he hadn't noticed at the time, the tiny little witch's cottage nestled like a child's toy among the fruit trees.  
  
 _You really think you can defeat me?_ The words seemed to arrive by magic in Richard's brain, without any reference to his ears.  
  
Then the melon exploded.  
  
Richard opened his eyes, expecting to see flying bits of orange pulp and melon seeds. Instead there was the far more welcome sight of Kahlan leaning over him. Her hair obscured the sunrise, but the light made a fitting halo for her face.  
  
"Are you all right, Richard?' she asked, concerned. "You were dreaming."  
  
Richard explained the nightmare as best he could, dwelling on Zedd teaching him to use his Seeker instincts by slicing invisible melons.  
  
"Could this be a prophecy dream?" Kahlan asked doubtfully. "He _is_ the Seeker."  
  
"Hmm, perhaps," agreed Zedd. "Or it could be the eternal mystery of Richard's brain."  
  
Richard sat up, which afforded him a slightly different angle of view on Kahlan's cleavage.  
  
Zedd cleared his throat, and Richard dragged his gaze away from Kahlan's chest. She folded her hands neatly in her lap. There was an awkward silence.  
  
"Now that we're all awake," Zedd said genially, "who's hungry?"


End file.
